Bettye LaVette

Soul singer Bettye LaVette made her first album at the age of 16, but true success eluded her until her mid-50’s when she released I’ve Got My Own Hell to Raise. Since then, she’s been featured as a performer at the 2008 Kennedy Center Honors (she performed a talked-about version of The Who’s Love, Reign O’er Me at their induction) and at President Obama’s pre-inaugural concert in 2009. Bettye LaVette talks about her career, the struggles of aging in show business, and her career resurgence after those two high-profile performances with our Ron Esposito.